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Hyun Jae Woo, IWS

Hyun Jae Woo, IWS

Congratulations to Hyun Jae Woo, IWS, for achieving highest honors in the Italian Wine Scholar exam with WSA Wine Academy, Seoul.

About Hyun Jae Woo:

As it is an opportunity given through the IWS course, I would like to talk about my passion for Italian wine. Actually, I search the Italian wine part at least once when I go to a restaurant or wine shop nowadays. In addition, when I'm going to buy the Italian wines, I focus on not only very famous wines such as Barolo, Chianti, and Amarone but also the wines which can get a high satisfaction at reasonable prices such as Pinot Grigio wines from the FVG region or Aglianico del Vulture from the Basilicata region. I really want to express my sincere gratitude for providing this course that helped to spread my passion of wine to wider and more diverse fields.

I completed and passed WSET 3, FWS and SWS. There was a lot of content in the IWS course that the WSET 3 course did not cover at all. For example, there were several sub-zones of Valle d'Aosta, Cortona DOP which is famous for Syrah in the Toscana region, and unfamiliar grape varieties such as Grignolio or Coda di Volpe Bianca. Naturally, this course has significantly improved my knowledge of Italian wines.

I recently finished the SWS course including exam. Despite the fact that the contents are highly extensive, I think the information was provided generously and minutely by dividing the each region. As a result, I was able to understand the contents more efficiently and I think that it will be an useful intellectual property when I participate in more in-depth courses in the future.

When recommending wine to someone or pairing wine with food, I think it will be a great help to improve my professionalism by skillfully using the information about Italian wines obtained through the IWS course.

Additional Info

  • Testimonial I really want to express my sincere gratitude for providing this course that helped to spread my passion of wine to wider and more diverse fields.
  • Position Wine Enthusiast
  • Certifications French Wine Scholar, Spanish Wine Scholar, WSET Level 3
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Jung In Hwang, IWS

Jung In Hwang, IWS

Congratulations to Jung In Hwang, IWS, for achieving highest honors in the Italian Wine Scholar exam with WSA Wine Academy, Seoul.

About Jung In Hwang:

I am a wine professional and enthusiast, working as a manager in a wine shop directly managed by a wine importer (VANGUARD WINE MERCHANTS). I want to be a wine specialist and an expert importer.

I completed WSET Level 3 and French Wine Scholar.  I studied general wine knowledge and styles around the world through WSET and learned broad and detailed French wine information through FWS. The IWS program helped me understand the details and unique features of Italian wines, which is difficult to learn elsewhere.

I am planning to complete other country programs offered by the Wine Scholar Guild such as SWS and I will continue to take various wine classes. The IWS program will be a good reference to other wine certification programs.

I've been an Italian wine lover until now. IWS made me deeply understand Italian wine and love it more.  I look forward to the IWS being a great foundation of knowledge for my life and career with wine.

Additional Info

  • Testimonial The IWS program will be a good reference to other wine certification programs...it made me deeply understand Italian wine and love it more.
  • Position Branch Manager, Vanguard Wine Merchants
  • Certifications French Wine Scholar, WSET Level 3
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Anders Melldén, IWS

Anders Melldén, IWS

Congratulations to Anders Melldén, IWS, for passing the Italian Wine Scholar exam with highest honors!

About Anders:

I am a lecturer/wine journalist and author. Beverage magazines and Swedens second biggest daily newspaper are my regular clients. I am a lecturer for sommelier students at Scandinavian Wine Academy, ”Vinkällan”, where I now also lecture the Italian Wine Scholar. I have written three wine books.

My interest in food and beverage comes from a previous career in the restaurant business, as sommelier with qualifications from the Restaurant Academy in Stockholm, and training in food and beverage at IMI, Lucerne, Switzerland. I also studied journalism at Poppius Journalistskola.

Other certifications include the Sommelier exam, WSET 3 exam among others.

I now lecture and hold master classes about Italian wines. For knowing more details about my favorite wine country, Italian Wine Scholar was perfect!

Additional Info

  • Testimonial I now lecture and hold master classes about Italian wines. For knowing more details about my favorite wine country, Italian Wine Scholar was perfect!
  • Position Freelance wine lecturer at Scandinavian Wine Academy/Vinkällan, and wine journalist
  • Certifications Certified Sommelier, WSET Level 3
Read more...

Jerry Chengyi Chen, IWS

Jerry Chengyi Chen, IWS

Congratulations to Jerry Chengyi Chen, IWS, for passing the Italian Wine Scholar exam with highest honors.

About Jerry:

I am a wine educator as well as an enthusiast, especially into Italian wines ever since my first job in the wine industry in 2007. I worked in a wine company that imported only Italian wines which hooked me directly up to Italian wines. As a wine educator of WSET diploma, I speak for many different topics and regions, but down deep in my heart, Italian wine is always my favorite topic for its uniqueness yet diversity, its noble taste/style at very competitive price and always wonderful choices to share Italian wines in all respects.

After I studied and graduated with the certificate of AIS (Association of Italian Sommelier), I found was quite familiar with Italian wines but not the rest of the world, so I turned to WSET, I became a wine educator after Level 3, then WSET diploma. But still, the wines attracting me the most were those from Italy as always, I studied and obtained VIA ambassador. Eventually I turned to IWS, for its systematic study materials and logical knowledge program, with all the necessary information that is needed to cover a wine region/varieties.

Currently I am thinking about FWS, after a double study materials of IWS, I am sure the similar structure and system can run me through FWS or SWS or any other countries without too much difficulty.

While WSET gave me a clear picture of how to learn about wines, then IWS program gave me a clearer picture about how to understand Italian wines/regions/grape varieties/culture as a whole, the textbooks are so far the best reference books about Italian wine if anybody ask me to recommend one which can be a perfect guideline to follow for studying all other regions/countries.

Additional Info

  • Testimonial The IWS program gave me a clearer picture about how to understand Italian wines, regions, grape varieties and culture as a whole.
  • Position WSET Diploma
  • Certifications Senior Educator, AWSEC
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Fred Dinger IWS

Fred Dinger IWS

Congratulations to Fred Dinger, IWS, for achieving highest honors in the Italian Wine Scholar exam with Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits, South Florida market.

About Fred:

I’ve been in the wholesale wine business since graduating from college. I am currently a Key Account Executive for SGWS in South Florida. My passion and interest in wine far exceed my day-to-day work responsibilities. Wine is a big part of who I am as a person.

I’ve also completed the FWS and SWS programs, as well the IWP, CSW, and Certified Sommelier. The IWS fit right in.

Possible future certifications include CWE and/or the WSET Diploma.

I really enjoy learning new things about wine. This program kept the juices flowing.

Additional Info

  • Testimonial I really enjoy learning new things about wine. This program kept the juices flowing.
  • Position Key Account Executive, Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits
  • Certifications French Wine Scholar, Spanish Wine Scholar, CSW, Certified Sommelier
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Mario Kruschinski IWS

Mario Kruschinski IWS

Congratulations to Mario Kruschinski, IWS, for passing the Italian Wine Scholar exam with highest honors!

About Mario:

I am from Germany, and I’m a passionate wine lover. Professionally, I work as an HR manager in the areas of learning and development. What fascinates me about the wine world is that it is so incredibly diverse and there is so much to discover. More than 10 years ago, I started to educate myself more intensively and extend my knowledge about wine.

In the future, I would like to combine the topics of wine, learning and enjoyment. I have already started to offer wine seminars and tastings. I would like to further expand and professionalize this business in the coming year. I can also very well imagine working as an instructor in the future. I love to share my passion with others and to convey the topic of wine in an entertaining way.

A few years ago, I passed WSET Level 2 and Level 3 with Distinction. In 2021 I successfully completed the WSET Diploma in Wines.

After completing the WSET Diploma, my goal was to learn even more about Italy as a wine country due to its high level of diversity. I wanted to gain a deeper understanding about Italy’s distinct wine regions and vast amount of indigenous grape varieties. To achieve this, I found IWS to be the ideal program.

I am currently working on FWS and would like to continue my studies afterwards with the Champagne Master Level program. It motivates me to enrich my knowledge continuously.

The IWS program gave me the opportunity to understand the culture and wines of Italy’s wine regions on a much deeper level. It was extremely valuable to learn more details about the numerous indigenous grape varieties and their characteristics.

With the knowledge I gained from the IWS program, I feel much more confident conducting wine classes and tastings and speaking about Italian wines. Also, the IWS certification can be a great help on my way to becoming an instructor in the future.

Additional Info

  • Testimonial With the knowledge I gained from the IWS program, I feel much more confident conducting wine classes and tastings and speaking about Italian wines.
  • Position Wine Enthusiast
  • Certifications WSET Diploma
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Sarah Wong IWS

Sarah Wong IWS

Congratulations to Sarah Wong, IWS, for achieving highest honors in the Italian Wine Scholar exam with Meiburg Wine Media, Hong Kong.

About Sarah: 

I am a wine lover/ wine professional. I write about wine and am also a wine judge. I have written about wine for Hong Kong publications such as South China Morning Post and Vino Joy. I have also judged for Cathay Pacific Wine and Spirits Competition and Decanter Asia Wine Awards for the past 10 years.

Wine is a lifelong learning journey, as there are constant changes with new upcoming wine regions, styles, vintages.  Italy is an excellent example. It has an extensive history and deep-rooted wine culture. However, it is going through a rejuvenation with new DOCGs springing up and the rediscovery of once forgotten indigenous varieties.

I hold the WSET Wine Diploma and VIA Wine Ambassador. The IWS was an excellent method to do a deep dive into Italy, and acquaint myself with an updated picture of the changes in the DOC/DOCG system.

I am an active member of the Hong Kong Wine Society and the Order of the Knights of the Truffle and Wines of Alba. My deeper understanding of Italian wines gives me a greater appreciation of its wines the and opportunity to share my knowledge with fellow wine lovers.

Additional Info

  • Testimonial My deeper understanding of Italian wines gives me a greater appreciation of its wines the and opportunity to share my knowledge with fellow wine lovers.
  • Position Wine Judge/ Wine Writer, Self Employed
  • Certifications WSET Diploma
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Daniele Pardi, IWS

Daniele Pardi, IWS

Congratulations to Daniele Pardi, IWS, for passing the Italian Wine Scholar exam with highest honors!

About Daniele:

Being a professional chef, I always loved pairing my food with the right wine. With time, I wanted to know more about it, and finally took time to study it in depth. At the moment I do probably have the experience and studies to educate others on the subject. In the last years I had the opportunity to teach for sommelier academies and now I’m into a new exciting project called wine-club.it.

I started my wine studies with Associazione Italiana Sommelier, from which I’ve graduated as one of the highest scorers of 2016. WSET was next, and I had my Diploma in London in 2019. Being in love with French wines I wanted to know more, so I took and passed (with honors) the FWS. The teaching material was so good that I wanted to study all the other WSG certifications. IWS was the next in line (98/100), followed by the SWS (100/100). I loved this triad.

Italian wine may seem very complex, and all of the other certifications go probably too fast over the 20 regions. The IWS, instead, does not leave out any area or aspect, and finally helps to make sense, from a historical and commercial point of view, of a great number of relevant appellations.

I hope to be a WSG approved educator very soon. In any case, the IWS will be the backbone of my Italian wine lessons.

Additional Info

  • Testimonial The IWS...finally helps to make sense, from a historical and commercial point of view, of a great number of relevant appellations.
  • Position Wine Educator, www.wine-club.it
  • Certifications French Wine Scholar, Spanish Wine Scholar, WSET Diploma
Read more...

Charlotte Ho, IWS

Charlotte Ho, IWS

Congratulations to Charlotte Ho, IWS, for achieving highest honors in the Italian Wine Scholar exam with Meiburg Wine Media.

About Charlotte: 

While I do not work in the wine or food and beverage industry, I am fervently passionate about wines, especially Italian wines. My love story with Italian wines began in 2012 when I visited the sweet Tuscan hills. Since then I have travelled to different regions in Italy, from Trieste to Orvieto to Lecce, sipping local wines wherever I went. During COVID-19, I was unable to travel to Italy and decided to embark on more formal wine studies.

Apart from the IWS program, I have passed the VIA Italian Wine Maestro course and am now a candidate for the VIA Italian Wine Ambassador. The IWS program, with its rigorous emphasis on geography and appellations, has definitely complemented my learning in the VIA program, which places special emphasis on native grape varieties.

As noted above, the IWS program has enhanced and deepened my understanding of the different Italian regions and wine appellations. With COVID-19 restrictions relaxing gradually, I am looking forward to visiting Italy again, exploring new places and revisiting familiar towns, equipped with a stronger knowledge foundation, which would enable me to better appreciate the wines, the winemaking and the local culture.

Additional Info

  • Testimonial The IWS program has enhanced and deepened my understanding of the different Italian regions and wine appellations.
  • Position Wine Enthusiast
Read more...

Senka Tennant, IWS

Senka Tennant, IWS

Congratulations to Senka Tennant, IWS, for achieving highest honors in the Italian Wine Scholar exam with Cru Consultancy, Canada.

About Senka: 

We have started and owned 2 wineries and vineyards. Last was called Terravista Vineyards.

I assumed the role of a winemaker at both. We sold Terravista mid 2019 and although I still consult in a minor capacity, we are mostly retired.  I now live in Naramata B.C. Canada.

I took both Italian Scholar Units from Cru Consultancy.  I really wanted to study wine regions I have travelled to in the past and learned about on my own in a more formal manner. The IWS course certainly embellished and broadened my knowledge.  

Italian Scholar Unit 1 and 2 was my first certification program from the Wine Guild.  I really enjoyed them both and hope to continue taking other certification courses that are offered through Wine Scholar Guild.

As well, really enjoy the weekly webinars and my recent journey to Piedmont with Kerin O’Keefe and group.

Additional Info

  • Testimonial I took both Italian Scholar Units from Cru Consultancy...The IWS course certainly embellished and broadened my knowledge.
  • Position Winemaker (retired)
Read more...
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